When War Calls
When War Calls... War only ends when people finally refuse to fight...so why do people continue to let their greed turn to violence? Why must we continue to spill blood of those who are meant to live long, happy lives; just because a dictator wants to prove that he is the 'ultimate power'. I'm fucking tired of it all. ''Samarra Inari thinks to herself as she looks over the papers in her hands the confirm the claims brought forth by the leader of Aeternum in the Toveri Alliance meeting they just held a few days ago. Many a word comes to mind when she thinks of this man and his actions, a few being: arrogant, officious, an interloper, a morosoph, an ultracrepidarian, and a narcissistic charlatan. She would find the mental diction exercise laughable and amusing if not for the seriousness of the situation at hand. Through the help of Ishgar's special forces, the Magic Council has retrieved a great deal of information on the continent that has effectively broken the non-aggression pact between their two lands by coming to their meeting for a formal declaration of war should they refuse his demands. Samarra sits with the two other leaders of the nations largest alliance, Alice Vroman and Valencia Morningheart, as well as the guild masters of what she hopes to be the leading force in their potential defense, Sterling Kasumi and Silver Kasumi. They have decided to meet at the guild of Crashing Wave near Hargeon due to its centrality between the three leader's guilds to discuss their course of action. Samarra puts down the papers in her hands and clears her throat a bit, "Well the Magic Council has gotten back to me, and I'm afraid it's not the best news... The claims of Kladenets are true in the fact that he has a standing military of twenty million mages prepared to invade our country in order to get his key for 'Project Ether'; the recreation of the One Magic to give himself unimaginable power and control over the world. Regardless of the validity of this project I do believe it is not something we should take lightly. A bigger problem has arose in that now Aeternum's forces have blocked off all possible trade routes into Ishgar, effectively cutting off our continent of resources from outside lands..." She says with a heavy sigh. "The problem is that he will effectively starve out our people in order to see his project through to success. Not to mention that if we refuse to take action he will send his soldiers here to attempt cripple our population as many cities are still trying to recover from the last series of battles with Alverez." Samarra rubs her temples in frustration at the troublesome greed that they are faced with, but is confident that the great minds around her will be able to come up with an effective plan in order to minimize the byproducts of this war that Aeternum is hungry for. "I want to hear what you all feel we should do in regards to the safety of our people. This war seems inevitable, as Aeternum's leader is not one for reason or negotiations, seeing as how he himself called for war to show off his 'own strength'," She says sarcastically, "and so I feel the first thing we need to decide is where the front of this battle will take place. Then we can move on to more strategical discussion." ...You Answer Alice sat directly across from Samarra, a blank expression rested on her face. She listened carefully to the brunette woman's words, stirring something within her. She soon came to realize that this was irritation. Not at Samarra herself but at the story she told. "Honestly," Alice started, her shoulders drooping ever so slightly as she let out a quiet sigh to calm herself, losing her normally unwavering composer for only a moment before quickly regaining it. "This sounds like the amateurish plot of a poorly written novel but I digress. Blocking off trade routes is normally the first step in crippling your enemies' forces, I say normally because it doesn't make any sense in this situation. If the target is one man there is no need for something like a full-scale war, a covert operation would make far more sense than this. Not to mention cutting off the trade routes doesn't only affect those in Ishgar but her trade partners as well. The economical problems it would cause for those countries would be all it would take to persuade them to take action as well. He's asking for a war with nearly the entirety of Earth land. How incompetent is this Kladenets? I suppose that is to be expected of the leader of a continent I've never even heard of. Do forgive me for rambling on, I simply find this situation to be a bit ridiculous, " Alice said as she pinched the bridge of her nose, forcing her glasses upwards. She moves her hand to allow her glasses to fall back into place as the other quickly adjusted them. Her hands then moved back to their original position in front of her, resting clasped together on the table before her, "I suppose that means that if nothing else we can say for certain that we're dealing with an unskilled leader, hiding behind numbers and calling it ''strength seems to be the game he is playing. As for seeing to it that our citizens remain as unaffected by this war as possible, I think it best that we take the fight to them. While normally I believe such an action would be foolish, I don't think we have much choice in the matter. Besides, if we want this to end quickly it would be best to just cut down the problem at its source. Wouldn't you agree?" Samarra nods her head in response, always a bit surprised at how similar their tactical minds thought. "I must agree with you, that Kladenets is a bit inept when it comes to any sort of military strategy; but I feel that his childish plan is to kidnap this person and ultimately take over each continent. So perhaps his compensation for his vacuous intelligence is his overwhelming number of soldiers." She gives a slight chuckle at the ease of overcoming their vapid opponent's actions. "Needless to say, we cannot be comfortable in our opponents lack of leadership, for their are variables in his military that we cannot account for. But I would agree that , although it is foolish to give up our home field advantage, it is best to cut it off at the source and put a stop to Kladenet's actions before it begins to harm the people of our continent. Besides," She pulls out topographical maps and diagrams that show oceanic currents around the opposing continent and places them in the middle of the group. "we aren't entirely blind of their land." "It is a relief to have some knowledge of this land. I also agree that giving up the territorial advantage in favor of keeping our people safe and cutting innocent casualties. It could also give us a slight advantage if he does not expect us to come to him and any way we can shake him up could be helpful. " Valencia said, offering up her opinions on the situation. She found the arrogant man who had instigated this new battle to be more of a pain than a threat, though she wasn't underestimating his forces only finding what he's done to be irritating more than intimidating. "However I do find it interesting that our opponent seems to be underestimating us, speaking to us as pawns to fall before a king may mean he is not be expecting us to become the queen who will take her fight across the playing field, moving far to knock out those who stand to threaten her. That is how chess works, no? Do we have any knowledge as to where Kladenets and his forces reside?" Silver picked her nails during the discussion, her upper lip occasionally curling in contempt at the situation. She never was any good at formalities. She cleared her throat, meeting the gaze of the others in the room before attempting to speak in the most diplomatic fashion she could. "I know I'm not a tactician like any of you. But, either way, war is war. It is violence and bloodshed. We can't go in blind but I personally don't know anything about where he is or who these Nine Elementals are. All I know is that you want Ster and I to be the guard. That's something I know we can do and I will fight whomever I need to ensure the safety of Fiore." She stopped, slouching back before waving her right hand nonchalantly. "Don't expect a speech like that from me ever again." Samarra smiles warmly at the fiery girl's determination and sense of duty to protect there home country. Not seeing why she tries to talk with a refined diplomatic tone, when it is her passion and enthusiasm that motivates masses to face the unknown with their heads high. "Well we have a brief overview of Wide Area Network wireless communication frequencies, showing us the probability of where cities and local towns may be considering the fact that everyone nowadays has a Lacrima Phone or computer device." Samarra says hopefully as she pulls out a transparent sheet with numerous blue dots and clusters printed on it. She leans over the table to lay the transparency over the topographical map in the center of them. Samarra points to a large cluster of blue with an anomalous clear spot in the center. "Based off this diagram, we can deduce that the thick clusters of wifi transmission would be where the cities are located; yet within this thick cluster of blue there is an odd empty space. My guess is that this would be the capital and lead based for Aeternum's military; as they are probably using a closed network to protect vital military and governmental information." Samarra takes a seat back down and stares intensely at the map. "Now if I were Kladenets, though it pains me to try and lower my IQ that much, I would think he would concentrate his forces closely around his capital and closely to the point of easiest entries via ocean currents. That is why I asked you guys to help lead the charge," Samarra says as she turns to the Crashing Wave Master, "With your guild's expertise in water magic, as well as dynamic driving power, I believe you could direct our forces to the more unsuspecting point of entry by overcoming the currents around the continent and executing beach entry with minimal casualties on our side." Alice knew Samarra was correct, even in a case such as this where everything seemed cut and dry, underestimating the enemy could prove disastrous. "Yes, a foolish king does not necessarily mean foolish generals. We shouldn't underestimate the enemy based soley on their leader." Alice said before falling silent to allow others to add their comments. Her normally expressionless face cracks into a slight smirk at Valencia's chess analogy, her days as a student being momentarily brought to the forefront of her mind. The moment was of course short lived, as the normally not so easily distracted woman was brought back to reality. They were preparing for war after all, there was no time for her to be reminiscing about the less stressful times of her life. She listens to Silver's quick speech, amused by her attempt at a diplomatic tone despite her normally somewhat brutish way of handling things. That being said, she knew Silver was in no way stupid, there was a method to her madness even if it was completely subconscious. Silver knew where it was her strengths and talents lied and where she could use them to their fullest, something Alice admired about the woman. Her eyes quickly shifted to Samarra when she began speaking again, showing them a map that would have to act as their best evidence of where the continent's cities were located. She waits patiently for Samarra to finish speaking to Silver, explaining where it was she believed she would be most useful. "That plan of action seems reasonable. Regardless of our plan once we reach land, whether or not we even get that far is up to you," Alice said, turning to look over at Silver before turning back to the Inari sitting across from her. "Once we reach land we should head toward the capital but I'm still unsure whether or not it would be better to march there as a single large force or to split up into slightly smaller squads with the intention of rendezvousing for the final battle. I can see the pros and cons of both, the large force guarantees safety in numbers but such a large force would be easily noticeable. Smaller forces makes us harder to track and increases the possibility of a surprise attack being a much more realistic goal. Speaking of forces, how many do we have? I've heard Pergrande has already agreed to lend the full might of its military. If that is true, I wonder if the other countries will do the same. After all, Kladenets' actions have affected far more than just those within the alliance and will continue to do so until he is stopped.." Silver paused, biting her lip. "We can only pull together three. Sterling, Sachiel and myself. I'm afraid the others are all on missions besides Anna, though she's going to manage things back here while we're gone. Unfortunately, without Kendra, we don't have the master water mage you're looking for." Silver's face flushed as she tried to think, hating how useless she sounded. Then it struck her. She wasn't sure where he was now but... If she could find him, he could help. "Anna?" Silver said, tilting her head toward the door to the meeting room. "Could you come in here for a sec?" Once the scarlet-haired woman entered Silver smiled, "Do you think you could try to find any and all information about the current whereabouts of Lucas Galta?" Anna recognizes the name instantaneously, recalling the ex-bounty hunter's feats from her time in the Iceburg underground. He was a man who's name and face popped up a lot in the heads of men with whom she had practiced her magic on, and so she had a good idea of where to start to find him. "Of course Silver, I believe he should be somewhere near Iceburg, if my memory serves me correct. But I will make a few calls to hopefully get in touch with him. I assume this is rather urgent, so I will let you know when I have made contact with him. Is that all?" "Yeah. Tell him it's from me, that he needs to repay that favor." She grinned turning back to the masters. "Lucas Galta. An old friend of mine and one of the best water mages I know. Last time we fought we went pretty even. That bastard kept unfreezing my creations. If he can come down, he can definitely get us in." She grinned to herself, seeing Lucas again would be a welcome treat, especially if she could coerce him into another spar. "When we get on land, I believe we should split. After we do our job of paving a path on the shore, you all go ahead. My guess is that our energy will be spent, so we will defend the ships and wait for your safe return." Samarra smiles at the master's security in her forces, knowing that they will be able to take down any barrier that stands in their way. "That sounds good to me. I believe Ishgar's CLAS-16 will be assisting our forces as well and providing suitable ships and provisions for our journey to Aeternum. I know the other guild masters are rallying their own forces after what had just happened in that meeting; and as for Koma Inu, I am sure many a member will accompany us, but I will be assembling a team of four of my guild's strongest mages to act as a special squadron with me. When we make contact with the land however, I believe it would be best if we kept a majority of our forces together to take out a great deal of foot soldiers that we may encounter. We can then have special squadrons flank off for a pseudo encirclement of what we assume is their headquarters and utilize pincer maneuvers to regroup our forces into a single unit to take down their base. Of course this is only a suggestion, and there is no telling what the power of those Nine Elementals are that Carlito mentioned..." "Yes, that is a fine plan. Though, I suppose I should expect nothing less from the Flash Tactician." Alice said, sitting up a bit straighter in her seat before speaking. "Do we have any word from the council pertaining to whether or not the other wizard saints will be joining us? Thanks to Miss Silver's words we learned that Kendra would not but I am curious if the other saints besides myself and the others who were among us when Kladenets made his appearance will? Having CLAS providing support helps lessen our burdens greatly and the addition of the full might of the saints on top of everything else we currently possess will do so further." Alice said before clearing her throat, "the strength of these 'elementals' is currently unknown, as you mentioned. We have very little knowledge to go on besides a few words from Carlito who said they had power equal to that of the spriggan during Ishgar's previous war. While I personally doubt this, considering how powerful those foes were, I also do not believe in underestimating my enemies. Therefore, I think it would be best to plan out our forces with the idea in mind that we will be fighting foes possessing enormous power. After all, if we end up overestimating their ability the only consequence we will face is having to watch a horrifically one-sided battle." "Though I cannot attest to the strength of the elementals and if they are truly as strong as the Spriggan, I will say I would rather see a one-sided battle than to be caught off guard by their abilities. So I believe that we should assume that Carlito’s claims are correct and that they are as powerful as the Spriggans and are capable of incredible feats. That being said I have received word from Shojiro that his network of spies have already caught on to the foreign continent’s activities, and so I believe he is already on his way to scout out the area for us so we can have a more definite idea of what we are facing. As far as the other Saints,” Samarra begins as she looks to Alice, “you, me, and Pharzuph will obviously be in attendance; as well as the fact that I will be asking Carwen to join my squadron for the invasion. I will be getting in contact with Theia to help aide in our efforts, and I have no doubt that she will be joining us as well. There is no word from Gin or Reisei, and both Kendra and Zora will be absent. So with certainty, I can say we will have the aide of six out of Ten Wizard Saints on our side, which should easily match their Nine Elementals. As well as the fact that there are other incredible mages on our side that should have no problem taking them on either.” She says with a beaming smile to her fellow guild masters at the table. "It's reassuring to hear all those names. Though I cannot say my team will be sporting any saints, we do have the confirmation that your sister, Kalina, will be joining us as well as Cedar and Gryphon. I have yet to hear from Iridescence and Serenity though last I saw they were heading out on an A Class mission so I doubt they will return in time. I haven't heard from some of the others as well and those under 14 have been asked to stay out of the battle " Valencia sighed, a little disheartened that she wouldn't know where all her comrades were. "I have faith that our small team will manage though, we are plenty strong enough to hold your own." She finished with a smile as well, trying to convey the confidence she had in her guild. "Only Sloane and I can join the battle in Aeternum on Galdrabók's behalf, my brother plans to stay behind to defend Ishgar in the case an attack is launched in our absence alongside our other guild members." Alice explained before moving on, "I believe it has been established that Crashing Wave and the ships that transported us will stay behind and defend our position on and near the beach? The others will move forward toward the capital on the routes Samarra has prepared for us, taking down supply lines and outposts as we go? Once we've arrived we will surround the castle to trap our target. Once we've gotten that far I believe it would be best to pull the remaining wizard saints to assault the castle while the others defend their position against whatever remains of Kladenets' forces. Without having to worry about anything besides the forces left inside the castle the saints will be able to deliver the final strike and secure our victory. That's a basic rundown of our strategy yes? If so I think it would be best for us to adjourn this meeting to allow us to prepare ourselves. I believe it would be in our best interest to leave as soon as we can get the ships ready. We can go over our plan in greater detail during the briefing with the other guild masters and leaders who can then pass that information on to their respective squads." "Yes I believe that is the general breakdown of our strategy." Samarra nods in agreement to Alice's summary. "We will be able to send out word to the other guild masters via our secure Archive network about the departure for Aeternum as soon as I receive word from the CLAS-16 about our ships. I believe we can use the same close network communication modules we had used during the Second Gen War to help communicate with different squadrons should obstacles present themselves once we are on the foreign continent," She says as she looks at Valencia with her allusion to the last war's communication. "Other than that, I believe we have gone over what we need to and shall begin preparations immediately, as Alice has said. Unless anyone has any last comments, I will call this war council meeting over..." She says as a few moments of silence go by. "Well, meeting adjourned. I will see you all on the battlefield; let's win this."